Institution

Name of site

Experimental Station in Skierniewice

Location

The study site is located in Skierniewice 60 km distance from Warsaw in Central Poland

Geology

Soils of glacial origin, on ground moraine. The dominant soil type is stagnic luvisols (WRB). The
substratum is a loamy sand (14–17% of silt) to a depth of about 40 cm, and a loam in deeper soil layers.

Each drainage system consists of a perforated PVC drainage pipe 100 mm in diameter, laid in a PVC
U-profile in the soil at a depth of 120 cm. The length of the drainage pipe allows the drained water to
be collected over the entire length of the plot. The drained water is collected in graduated vessels
placed in inspection chambers. Because the installation of drainage systems involved a major intrusion
into the soil environment of the experimental fields, maintained with no alterations since 1923, the
systems were installed on one of 3 or 5 replicate plots of the selected treatments in fields A and E, D,
respectively.

Soil samples can be collected from the static fertilization experiments (see below). The Experimental
Station in which the experiments are conducted has an analytical laboratory, where basic physical and
chemical analyses of soil and plant samples can be performed. A vegetation hall and research facility
with ca. 1000 ground pots (0.4 m in diameter and 1.2 m tall) is also available.

Agricultural impacts and pollutant types

Controlled crop rotation and fertilization of plant systems. The various experimental plots are shown
in the map below.

Long-term static fertilization experiments at the Experimental Field in Skierniewice were designed
using modern statistical methods. Experiments on 11 fields (A1–8, AF1–3 and D)
were started in 1922
and on the other 8 fields (A9–11 and E) in 1924. From the beginning until now the
experiments are
conducted in three (Fields A) or five replications (Fields E and D).

The major aim of these experiments has been the evaluation of effects of different organic and
mineral fertilization on crops and the environment in different crop rotation systems. The
experimental design has consisted of the following matrix :

Mineral fertilizers under all fertilization and crop rotation systems are applied in comparable doses. At
the beginning of the experiments, fertilizers were applied in following doses: 30 kg N ha-1,
30 kg P2O5 ha-1 and 30 kg K2O ha-1.

Available data

A database of the results of experiments conducted in previous years, such as yields, other parameters
needed to calculate C and N balances and weather conditions are available.

The Meteorological Station of the Experimental Station in Skierniewice was founded in 1921 and is
the oldest facility of this type in Poland. Nowadays it belongs to the synoptic station network of
the Institute of Meteorology and Water Management in Poland and is used for short- and long-term
forecasting.